Forums | MacLife

Thanks for clearing that up Susie, M|LF gets a reprieve - this time.

What bugs me is that they have an account number, address, and seem to know how much I paid for my subscription.

So the account number on the fake invoice really matches the one on your mailing label, huh?

I've been told that we (and the other magazines that this has happened to) don't know for certain how these guys get our subscriber list. Could be with a phony list rental or could be someone at the fulfillment agency pilfering our files, which is illegal. The rental list shouldn't have account numbers, though, so if it was really mtpalms' account number, that suggests maybe it's the latter possibility.

Oh, and I also found out that the Amazon offer that Frank posted in another thread in this forum is totally legit.

I've gotten about 4 or 5 'renewal notices' from these bozos every year, some for magazines I have never subscribed to.

Just ignore 'em.

Wow. That's pretty bad. There are things like that on myspace as well asking for paypal #'s. Beware!

mtpalms wrote:

I got an 'invoice' in the mail the other day from Publisher's Billing Agency. I had re-upped my subscription to M|LF for a year, and I get this slip in the mail with no other explanation, that says I still owe $22.49 for my 3 year subscription. It has my account number on it and everything. I wouldn't be half as annoyed if there was a cover letter explaining that paying ths 'invoice' would extend my subscription, but it implies that I haven't paid my bill.

I seem to recall other people have received these as well in the past.

Why do companies go out of their way to drive customers away? It's bad enough that magazines start begging for renewals 5 minutes after they get paid for the current one. I wasn't going to renew when MAF changed to M|LF, but you begged me to give you a chance, so I stayed. Once again, I am this close to cancelling.

This is a classic case of, "Why are our readers dropping print media, and flocking to the internet? They must be cheap bastards." Yeah. Just keep thinking that, and don't let the door hit you on the butt on your way out of existence. I don't much care for the smear marks it leaves behind.

I'm disgusted with even legit renewal notices 5 & 6 monthw in advance so I trash them and when it is 1 month before the renewal date ( I look back on my money book to see when I last renewed) I send a renewal in. Otherwise the notice goes into the recycle pile.

Susie wrote:

So the account number on the fake invoice really matches the one on your mailing label, huh?

I've been told that we (and the other magazines that this has happened to) don't know for certain how these guys get our subscriber list. Could be with a phony list rental or could be someone at the fulfillment agency pilfering our files, which is illegal. The rental list shouldn't have account numbers, though, so if it was really mtpalms' account number, that suggests maybe it's the latter possibility.

Oh, and I also found out that the Amazon offer that Frank posted in another thread in this forum is totally legit.

Anyone with access to your account database could easily steal a copy of the Db. Heck, depending on the format it could be emailed away from any authorised workstation on your network or pilfered off wireless if M|LF is like many businesses that expose sensitive data to insecure wireless nets.

I just received a renewal/new order from Publishers Billing Center. Same company slightly different name? I've never received a notice from these guys before.

frankly wrote:

justine wrote:

I just received a renewal/new order from Publishers Billing Center. Same company slightly different name? I've never received a notice from these guys before.

I've got one that might top that. I received a Notice of renewal/new order in the mail today from the Magazine Billing Network. You ready for the best part? They were trying to get me to renew/order MAC ADDICT!!!!

I love it!!!

Frank

Just now got that one.

Susie wrote:

I just asked our Circulation Director about that, and he said that Publisher's Billing Agency is a big scam. We didn't send you that invoice, and you should just throw it away.

He said that this company is "haunting the industry" and causing damage to publishers by pulling this little scheme, and if you did send them money to pay their fake invoice, there's no guarantee that the subscription/renewal would ever make it to us.

I don't know much more about this, but I'll be looking into it as I have time. I just wanted to post this warning right away. DON'T PAY THEM.

Here are a couple of links I found in a quick Google search. I'll follow up here if/when I can learn more.
Warning posted at Night Shade Books (with lots and lots of other links)
Fraud Report posted at MacInTouch
Better Business Bureau report for the Publishers Billing Agency
Better Business Bureau page for Publishers Billing Exchange, which the first link above claims has since morphed into Publishers Billing Agency.
More about these scams

GRRRRRRRRRRR....

Is anything being done about this? I mean, are the powers that be at the magazine taking any action against these scam companies other than warning online readers about it? Can anything be done about it?

MyMac8MyPC wrote:

other than warning online readers about it?

Where have they even tried to warn readers about this? It was an ordinary subscriber that warned us all, otherwise we'd never know anything about it

Um, this thread that you posted in? if you actually read the thread, you'll see that mtpalms brought this to the mags attention, and Susie responded.

MyMac8MyPC wrote:

Are you saying that mtpalms is affiliated with the magazine? Because responding to a thread, and starting one, are two different things, that's all I was trying to say. If mtpalms is affiliated with the magazine then that's different...

I can't believe i have to spell this out for you.

mtpalms brought this scam to the attention of the magazine editors. Susie looked into it and found a scam was happening. So that others here would be aware, Susie stuck the topic so it wouldn't fall off the board.

:confused:So, perhaps all of the former MacAddict and possibly all of the current Mac|Life subscribers are possible targets for mail fraud?  I think all of the subscribers would appreciate a heads up from the magazine.  I also think that the company should work with the USPS to stop the mail fraud.  The publisher does have responsibility to take care of their subscribers.  How this is handled will likely determine if I ever renew.  Just saying "golly we don't know how it happened" doesn't cut it with me.